San Diego State alum Stephen Strasburg is planning to retire after an accomplished but injury-riddled pro career, according to media reports.
MLB.com cited a source Thursday in confirming a story about Strasburg’s status by the Washington Post. His team, the Washington Nationals, has not commented on the report.
Strasburg, 35, has been out of commission for more than a year. He last pitched on June 9, 2022 against the Marlins; it was the only time he took the mound for the Nationals last season.
He hit a career high in 2019, when he earned World Series MVP honors as the Nationals prevailed over the Houston Astros in seven games.
A decade earlier, he became baseball’s No. 1 draft pick during his junior season at San Diego State, playing under the late Tony Gwynn at SDSU.
The right-hander signed a mega-deal with the Nationals worth $245 million after his 18-6 performance in 2019, but the next season pitched just five innings. The following year, he posted only 21.2 innings, then four-plus innings in the June 2022 appearance in Miami.
Strasburg, who has been a National his whole career, made it to the All-Star Game three times, including in 2016, when it took place at Petco Park.
He compiled a 113-62 record with a 3.24 ERA and 1,723 strikeouts in 247 games.